A sea change in attitudes toward gay marriage?

The latest prominent liberal to change his tune is Congressman John Dingell, evidently after pressure from his primary opponent, and my fellow UM econ grad student, Dan Marcin. While some credit is certainly due to Dan, I find this shift remarkably similar to those by the NAACP and prominent black celebrities in the aftermath of President Obama’s public change of heart on the issue. I don’t give Obama, Dingell, or any of these other people the least bit of credit on their views “evolving” – these are clearly calculated political moves. But Obama’s public statement appears to be having large effects on people’s stated views, maybe by making it “safe” for people from social groups hostile to the concept to come out in favor of same-sex marriage. There are echoes here of the vast change in stated opinions on racial segregation after the 1960s.